Dirty Velvet - 2023 - Far Beyond the Moon

(36:03; Fastball Music)

Track list:
1. Moon 3:45
2. Bastards 3:24
3. Another Reality 3:41
4. You N' Me 3:58
5. Queen of Decadence 3:23
6. Message 4:18
7. Fight Together 3:05
8. No No No 2:43
9. Forbidden Fruit 4:42
10. I'm Standing 3:04

Line-up:
Ekaterina Koukharets - vocals
Pascal Sauty - guitars
Garrincha Maillard - bass
Gilles Di Domenico - drums


Swiss band Dirty Velvet started out back in 2019, and since then they have made a name for themselves as a fine live band in the Swiss live circuit. This spring they released their debut album "Far Beyond the Moon" through German label Fastball Music.

This is a band that stands rather firmly inside of a hard rock tradition, and this is one of the bands that draw in impulses from quite a few different directions. The label description of this band being in the alternative category thus seems rather appropriate.

Quite a few of the songs come with indirect nods in the direction of the old masters Black Sabbath, with the guitar riffs in particular coming with shades and ghosts of Tony Iommi's riff constructions and guitar sound as an ongoing undercurrent. The style and execution has much more of a hard rock orientation however, and more often than not in a more slower paced mode of delivery where the point may be to establish compelling guitar riffs and combine them with a steady groove. Another and perhaps even more ongoing feature is something of a subtle touch of psychedelic rock, first and foremost as a bit of an undercurrent for the guitar solo runs. This feature is so subtle that it may as well be accidental though, but it is also an aspect of the material that does go a bit hand in hand with another element.

A recurring trait that is a bit more up front here is how many of the songs come with a bit of a grunge feel to them. While perhaps not including these elements in a straightforward manner it is a presence, and interestingly enough perhaps more in some of the gentler parts of the songs than in the more guitar riff dominated sections. This is contrasted a bit with other parts that have a more tight and jangly touch to them that adds a little bit of a punk feel to some of the landscapes explored here. This latter aspect is occasionally emphasized by vocalist Koukharets taking on a bit more of a snarling delivery that is markedly sharper than her otherwise subtly jangly and emotional use of her voice.

I do find this album to be one steady going most of the time, but for me at least this isn't a band that manages to climb up to the greater heights on this album. While a couple of the ballads are just about the only songs here I'd say were on the weaker side, mainly due to being anonymous, the other songs are coming along quite nicely without having any noticeable weaker traits as such. The aforementioned vocals of Koukharets may be a divisive point for some, this being a case of whether you like your vocals to be emotionally oriented or delivered with control as the primary aspect, but that as with so many aspects of music is a matter of subjective taste rather than objective fact.

For me this is a decent album within the field of alternative hard rock, with some weak songs but otherwise consisting of material that should find favor among listeners with a strong affection for this specific style of music.


Olav M. Björnsen, April 2023

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076167258796
http://www.fastball-music.de/